United States District Court

Northern District Of Illinois

Local Rules

APPENDIX
C

REGULATIONS PERTAINING TO TRIAL BAR ADMISSION

The following regulations were promulgated by the District Admissions
Committee as interpretive and procedural guides to the admission rules. The
District Admissions Committee was disbanded by the abrogation of General Rules
3.20, 3.21, 3.22 and 3.23 effective December 19, 1997. However, the following
regulations remain in effect.

D.A.C.REG.1 PARTICIPATION UNITS
(Local Rule 83.11)

Promulgated by the District Admissions
Committee as an interpretive guide to definitions of "participations"
and qualifying trial "days" as set forth in LR83.11.

A.
"Participation" and "participates" defined

The
terms "participation" or "participates" as used in LR83.11,
defining a participation unit, refer to an active and open involvement in the
presentation of a case as contrasted with passive observation or rendition of
services solely to another attorney who was actively involved. A minimum
criterion for the requisite level of involvement contemplated by the rule for
participation credit shall be that the applicant be present at the testimonial
proceeding and prepared for and/or conducted the examination or cross
examination of at least two (2) witnesses in the qualifying trial.

B.
"One day" defined

The term "one day" as used
in LR83.11, defining a qualifying trial refers to not less than three (3) hours
of actual appearance time in open court during which testimony is taken and/or
exhibits are offered. Notwithstanding the foregoing:

(1) In the event
interruptions or recesses in a trial prevent attainment of the aforesaid 3-hour
minimum in a single 24-hour day, it is permissible to aggregate appearance time
in the same trial so as to achieve a total of three (3) hours, provided that
such added appearance time is of the character referred to in the preceding
paragraph B.

(2) In no event shall more than one (1) day of qualifying
trial credit be claimed for any 24-hour day nor shall any appearance time in
excess of three (3) hours be carried over to a subsequent day.

(3) A trial
which is completed in less than three (3) hours shall be deemed to entail
"one day" of credit if it is in all other respects a testimonial
proceeding under LR83.11 and if the applicant gave an opening statement and/or
closing argument in the trial.

D.A.C.REG.2
OBSERVATION UNITS (Local Rule 83.11)

Promulgated by the District
Admissions Committee as an interpretive guide to observation units as set forth
in LR83.11.

A. Basic requirements for receiving credit for an
observation unit

An applicant will be entitled to receive credit
for an observation unit pursuant to LR83.11 if, in conjunction with a trial
involving testimonial proceedings in a state or federal court within the scope
of LR83.11 of the Local Rules of this Court and which constitutes as qualifying
trial within the scope of LR83.11 of the Local Rules of this Court, he or she,
at the time of the submission of the application:

(1) was supervised in
the observation of the trial by counsel for one of the parties;

(2) became
familiar with the factual and legal issues;

(3) attended a substantial
amount of the court sessions during trial;

(4) observed any opening and
closing arguments;

(5) observed a substantial portion of the direct
testimony and cross examination presented by all parties;

(6) consulted
with the supervising attorney from time to time; and

(7) is a member in
good standing of the bar of this court.

B. Requirements for
supervising attorney

The supervising attorney shall be required
to complete an observation affidavit on behalf of the applicant attesting to the
fulfillment of the above requirements and specifying certain other information
regarding the trial which was the basis for the supervision. The supervising
attorney must, at the time of the supervision, have been either admitted as a
member of the trial bar of the Court or, should the supervision have taken place
prior to such admission of the supervising attorney, give evidence of the
equivalent of four (4) participation units achieved by affiant prior to the
supervision activity.

C. "Substantial" defined

The
term "substantial," as used in paragraph A(3) and A(5) of this
Regulation, is defined as at least fifty (50) percent of the court sessions and
fifty (50) percent of the direct testimony and cross examination except that, if
the trial lasted less than three (3) days, the term "substantial"
shall be defined as having attended all court sessions and having observed all
of the testimony presented.

There shall be no
remuneration for supervising applicants for observation units, and the ratio of
applicants to supervising attorneys shall not exceed three (3) to one (1),
unless a greater ratio has been approved in advance by the District Admissions
Committee.

D.A.C.REG.3 SIMULATION UNITS (Local Rule
83.11)

Promulgated by the District Admissions Committee as an
interpretive guide to simulation units as set forth in LR 83.11.

A.
Trial advocacy programs & simulation units: general

A trial
advocacy program will qualify a participant for simulation credit pursuant to
LR83.11 if the focus of the program is experiential in accordance with
paragraphs B and C below, with any lecture being incidental thereto and, in any
event, comprising less than 25% of the program hours.

B. Standards
for trial advocacy programs

In general, to qualify the applicant
for simulation unit credit, the trial advocacy program should, with respect to
each unit of credit:

(1) provide the following hours of classroom or
courtroom instruction:

(a) 24 hours in the case of a continuing education
pro-gram for practicing lawyers; or

(b) 40 hours in the case of a law
school program for second or third year law students.

(2) provide each
participant the opportunity to do opening statements, closing arguments, direct
and cross examination, and introduction of exhibits.

(3) provide each
participant the opportunity to conduct one mock trial with a maximum of two
participants on each side in which each participant examines at least one
witness and gives an opening or closing argument.

(4) provide a ratio of
participants to full-time or part-time instructors -of not more than ten to one
(10:1).

C. Approval of simulation unit in certain instances where
trial advocacy program does not meet the standards

If a trial
advocacy program does not meet the standards set forth in paragraph B above, an
applicant, nonetheless, may be entitled to a simulation unit if it is
demonstrated to the satisfaction of the District Admissions Committee, or a
subcommittee thereof, that the program fulfills the objectives of providing the
applicant with substantial hands-on experience in the phases of a trial set
forth in paragraph B (2) above under competent supervision. In particular, the
Committee, or a subcommittee thereof, shall consider the relationship between
the hours of instruction and the participant/faculty ratio, the number of
student presentations, the experience of the instructors, the syllabus for the
program, and the quality of the instructional materials.